


It's always the ones you least expect

by aidail



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Head Auror Harry Potter, Minister for Magic Hermione Granger, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:28:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22544809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aidail/pseuds/aidail
Summary: Hermione is angling to be the next Minister for Magic, but first she's going to need some help. With her youthful righteousness leaving a pile of burning bridges behind her, she's going to need someone to help her regain the trust of the wizarding world and convince them she has their best interests in mind. With the help of her friends, family and few unexpected allies, will she finally take the top job?
Relationships: Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BonfireBright](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonfireBright/gifts).



“You need an advisor.” 

Hermione looked up, already wary. Simmons was by no means her least favourite person on her staff, but he was definitely in the running. He was exceptionally good at his job, mostly evidenced by the fact that she had no idea what he did, but she rarely enjoyed taking his advice. 

“What kind of advisor?” She asked, having decided to save her breath on arguing the point. When Simmons looked slightly hesitant, she felt her pulse quicken. Anything that made Simmons pause was usually very bad news. But her expression didn’t change, and she let the silence speak for her. It was a trick she’d first learned as a mother but found it very handy in professional settings. As expected, Simmons stumbled on, filling the silence only one of them found uncomfortable. 

“To be perfectly blunt, you need someone who understands the interests of the old wizarding families.” 

Hermione blinked at him for several moments, already figuring out what Simmons wanted but hoping she was wrong. 

“You want me to try and pacify those elitist purebloods who still call me a mudblood behind my back.” She stated bluntly. 

Simmons winced at the word but nodded.

“As much as we wish it were otherwise, those ‘elitist purebloods’ still hold too many votes. There’s a general feeling that after the war there were some who were perhaps treated a little too harshly.”  
He put up a hand to forestall her interruption.  
“You know I support you, but you’re trying to bring in a lot of changes. You’re going to need to show the wizarding community that you still value our customs. Right now, it’s too easy for them to attack your campaign as a personal vendetta.”

Hermione swallowed her objections and considered what he was saying. There was a time when she might have objected immediately, even dismissed him from her staff on the grounds of insubordination. But her hotheaded Gryffindor sense of justice had been tempered over the years by cold logic. As much as she hated it, he made sense. She knew what they said about her. She had been ruthless early on, forcing through laws in the magical law enforcement division to protect non-wizard magical beings, denouncing wizarding prejudices and trampling over their precious customs. She knew she’d made enemies, but that had never scared her. It had certainly ever stopped her. 

Now though, she knew the cost of that kind of approach. People she could have persuaded were set against her, people who could have been her supporters avoided her, potential allies rejecting her methods. She hadn’t seen the point in compromise. It still irked her. She could see the clear path they needed to follow to end the injustices she still saw in the world. But she’d learned. That path left casualties in its wake. Friendships had been sacrificed at the altar of her vendetta. It had almost cost her closest friends on more than one occasion and those were forged in blood and danger. More casual friendships had not survived. 

Which was a problem now she was a prime candidate for the next Minister for Magic. It was a position she’d been coveting for years now, knowing Shacklebolt was ready for retirement. She had his support and that meant something within the Ministry. But even that might not be enough. She needed allies and her list was short. 

Idly she realised Simmons was still waiting for a response. From the subtle tension in his shoulders it was clear he expected her to react badly. That wasn’t a good sign. If even one of her closest advisors viewed her as volatile, her reputation must be even more damaged than she’d realised. So instead she took a deep breath and nodded to him. 

“Who did you have in mind?”


	2. Chapter 2

As a golden eagleowl soared in through the window, Draco looked up from where he’d been sitting at the breakfast table silently contemplating his eggs. They’d been prefect, as always. His house elf always made them perfectly. The soft sound of the owls wings had broken the perfect silence, and Draco almost jumped at the much louder thump as she landed on the table. 

He sorted the letter quickly. There weren’t as many as there used to be. None from Hogwarts which he could only count as a blessing. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve his son befriending Albus Potter on his first day (ok he knew exactly what he’d done), but that particular turn of events meant he received a letter at least once a month for something his son had done. It seems Albus had inherited the mischievous gene from his uncles, and Scorpius was far too easily persuaded to join in. 

He finished sorting the letters, discarding most of them. One he kept. He was almost tempted to throw it straight into the fire unopened. It was emblazoned with the crest for the Ministry. Draco had received hundreds of letters like this. When he was younger it had been a near constant stream of people either blaming him or attempting to curry favour, assuming the young Malfoy heir would be following in his father’s footsteps one way or the other. But he hadn’t received a letter like that in a long time. Years in fact. 

Curiosity got the better of him. 

_Dear Mr Malfoy_

__

__

_I am writing on behalf of the current head of Magical Law Enforcement Hermione Granger…_

Draco felt a chill wash over him as he read that name. He set the letter down carefully staring blankly as he tried to master his reaction. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that name recently. She was frequently mentioned in the papers. He’d even seen her recently in September when he went to drop Scorpius off at the Hogwarts express. But she was still the last person he expected to be writing to him. Even by proxy. The last time they’d actually spoken had been in this house 22 years ago and it was a memory Draco tried hard to forget. Sometimes her screams still echoed in his dreams along with those of every victim he’d hurt in those years. 

He took a sip of tea. It was almost cold, but the sweet taste was grounding. Astoria had always mocked him for how much sugar he put in his tea. He wished she was here now. She’d know what to do. 

He reached for the letter again. The least he could do is find out what it said. Maybe she’d found a loophole, a reason to throw him in Azkaban after all. He wouldn’t be surprised. However, what he read was nothing he could have predicted. He felt his eyebrows rising in disbelief as he read and he sat afterwards for a long time before calling for a quill. He scrawled out a short reply before sending it off. 

Sitting back he scanned the letter again, eyes catching on one phrase over and over again

 _I have a job for you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided I'm gonna switch POVs but this may not always be sequentially. It'll depend on what happens later on. Also, I'm borrowing a lot from Cursed Child canon in terms of details, but not the events. There is no super powered time turner, no shenanigans at Hogwarts and definitely no Voldemort/Bellatrix

**Author's Note:**

> Who'd have thought I'd be writing Harry Potter fanfiction in this, the year of our lord 2020. But here we are. I blame you Annie.
> 
> Also, I haven't done a chapter fic in a looooong time and I don't really know where I'm going with this one so updates might be slow, but if there's anything you want to see, let me know :)


End file.
